Ismahen Ben Barka holds a Ph.D. in historical anthropology, and is a research fellow at the National Heritage Institute in Tunis. She participated in all of the training workshops organized by UNESCO in Tunisia. She also participated in preparing national and multinational nomination files for submission to UNESCO, as well as working on inventory. She has worked on various scientific projects related to intangible cultural heritage and teaches courses at the University of Tunis on artisanal know-how, traditional arts and crafts, women, heritage and daily life, and social practices. She has also authored various scientific publications.